Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Take a Hike

Mountain climbing was something I was interested in while I was in my 20s. At least at that time I thought I was interested in it. Now I realize that it was simply hiking that I liked. Even more so, simple day hikes.

I suppose my reality check came when visiting places like Yosemite and the Adirondacks where one can look at the magnificent granite cliffs of El Capitan or Pokomoonshine and see tiny dots moving upward on their surfaces. Then you realize those tiny specks are people climbing those rocks. This reality added perspective to what I thought I wanted to do.

I am reminded of a day hike I once took with a girlfriend of the time. We hiked up a rather minor mountain named Skunnymonk in the Ramapo Mountain Range in New York State. It was a warm late spring day and it was a two or three hour hike. When we got to the top we found it to be like the top of most of the Ramapo Mountains, a bald cap with eroded soil that exposed the rock.

We decider to rest at the top and laid on the sun warmed rock. Shortly we found ourselves each involved in a nap. It was a semi-conscience nap where we were almost, but not quite in REM sleep. Oddly, after a while we kept hearing this sound of a strange wind that would whoosh by and then whoosh by again. The sound became more frequent and louder and closer.

We opened our eyes at nearly the same time and saw a flock of turkey vultures. They were circling us, getting closer with each pass. We got up and moved around and they went elsewhere, disappointed in our lack of demise. I was reminded of the fate of those who die in the wilderness.